


Happy & Blessed

by Noworriessmile



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 20:55:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2243220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noworriessmile/pseuds/Noworriessmile
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This chapter is inspired by a tweet about discrimination.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Happy & Blessed

**Author's Note:**

> *Keeping in mind the subject matter there is some name-calling, but I tried to keep it to a minimum. This chapter is not meant to be distasteful or disrespectful in anyway. Nor is it my intention to condone or encourage prejudice and discrimination of any kind in any way, shape or form.

Their day started like any other; coffee with breakfast and even some yoga. Erin went as far as to do a bit of mediation as well. 

Ella wasn’t to that point yet, she couldn’t “quiet her spirit” like Erin could. _Why sit in silence when I can play with Max!_ So, that’s exactly what she did. 

You’d think Ella’s incessant giggling and Maxwell’s playful growls would make Erin’s meditating nearly impossible, but it had quite the opposite effect on her. After having been single for so long, she welcomed their sounds as they filled the room. It calmed her spirit and reminded her she was no longer alone.

The two took their showers and got ready to head out for an early movie and possibly lunch after. Ella wore a white _Peau De Loup_ button-down and green scarf. Erin rocked her camo jacket over a simple gray tank, topped of with her red and black-checkered scarf and gray flat-brimmed cap. 

The day was a cloudless sky and the two were wearing their matching sunglasses Erin had picked out at the beginning of summer. 

Erin was eager to see _The Hundred-Foot Journey._

“I can’t believe this is the movie you chose.” Ella said shaking her head. 

“Hey, it was my turn to choose. And we agreed no vetoes. Besides, you chose _Guardians of the Galaxy_ last week.” 

“That’s weak. You loved that movie. You said, and I quote: ‘It was surprisingly witty and had offbeat humor.’” 

Erin smiled, “Alright you got me there. But what movie were you expecting me to choose?” 

“I thought you were going to pick that new Indi-film, _Begin Again,_ it is about music after all.” 

Erin pondered the suggestion, “Actually, I thought about that one but it’s not showing at the locally, we’d have to drive thirty minutes out to that independent theater to see it and I didn’t want to spend all day in the car.” 

“So I was right!” 

Erin laughed, “Sure sweaty you were right.” 

Please with herself, Ella turned up the radio and sang along with the music now pouring through the speakers. 

Erin eye’s lingered over Ella’s features as she marveled at her. _How did I get so lucky?_ She reached for her hand, bringing Ella’s knuckles to her lips. 

Ella’s attention shifted from the music to Erin, feeling the caress of her lips. Her smile widened, _how did I ever manage to be happy before you?_ She didn’t need words to reciprocate her feelings. Ella interlaced their fingers, giving Erin’s hand a gentle squeeze and rested both their hands in her lap. 

Contently the two rode the rest of the way to the theater in silence. True to form, upon parking, Erin hopped out of the car and hurried around the car to open Ella’s door. 

She took Erin’s outstretched hand, “You’re never going tired of doing that are you?” 

“Nope.” Erin shook her head and helped her out of the car. 

Ella laughed and stepped to the back of the car. She rummaged through her purse, “Babe, do you want—“ 

Erin’s focus shifted and Ella’s words fell of deaf ears. A woman’s head turned towards them at Ella’s term of endearment, causing Erin’s eyes to drift past Ella and her smile faltered a bit. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion seeing the couple in their mid-forties walking past, with the woman giving her a displeasing look. When their eyes met the woman turned to the man, whom Erin assumed was her husband and whispered something, which caused the man to look towards her with an appalled look. _What the heck?_ The man’s arm shifted from her waist up around her shoulders, tightened his grip and quickened their pace. Erin tracked their movements. 

“Erin?…” 

The man glanced over his shoulder once more and shook his head displeasingly as they continued inside the theater. Erin head snapped back, as if she had been slapped, before she set her jaw and slowly exhaled a heated breathe through her nose. 

“Erin!” 

Hearing the tone of Ella’s voice pulled Erin from her inner monologue, comprised of some words that were less than amicable. “Hmm, what? I’m sorry.” Erin’s expression softened when she looked into Ella’s eyes, “What did you say?” 

Erin’s tense posture hadn’t gone unnoticed by Ella, “What’s wrong?” 

Backed by a weak smile Erin tried to reassure her, “Nothing, I just got distracted. What did you ask me?” 

Ella’s eyes narrowed slightly, _she is such a terrible liar,_ but she wasn’t going to push the matter. “I just wanted to know if you wanted me to put the keys in my purse.” 

“Oh, sure. Thanks.” Erin handed over the keys and lightly placed her hand on the small of Ella’s back to usher her towards the theater’s entrance. 

Erin was always conscious of PDA or physical contact of any nature when in public with Ella. Sure, she was out and personally had no qualms about physically showing how much she cared for Ella, but at the same time she never wanted to disrespect her. Ella still wasn’t officially out and she wasn’t about to do anything that would jeopardize outing her girlfriend before she was ready. Coming out is sadly still a big decision, more so for some than others. Ultimately, it was Ella’s choice and she respected that fact. 

Having been open about her sexuality for a while now Erin had also faced far more situations involving her sexuality than Ella had, some good and some that were less than pleasant. Knowing firsthand the extent of some people’s prejudice, Erin wanted to protect Ella from it as best she could. She wasn’t naive to the fact that she couldn’t shield Ella from it all; but she still wasn’t going to do anything to open up Ella to be targeted by ignorant people’s discrimination.  

Once inside the theater Erin purchased their tickets while Ella went to the concessions to get her staple movie candy, Raisinets and Care Bear Gummies. She was waiting in line when she noticed the woman in front of her kept, not so subtly, looking at her. _What does she keep looking at?_ Ella started to fidget under her gaze. Once she gave herself a thorough onceover, to make sure she hadn’t missed a button on her shirt or something, Ella decided to try talking to her. “Hi, how’s your day going?” 

The woman turned her back to Ella, blatantly snubbed her. _That was rude!_ Ella tried not to let it bother her, but she couldn’t understand why this random woman had been so impolite to her for no reason. 

Erin made her way over just as Ella had finished getting her candies. She noticed Ella seemed to be lost in thought. “Hey, did you get what you wanted?” 

Ella perked back up, “Yep, they even had the Care Bear Gummies.” 

Contorting her face into a disgusted expression, Erin pretended to gag. 

Ella laughed and swatted Erin’s stomach, causing her to laugh along. “Hey, don’t judge. You’ve never even tried them.” 

“I’m not eating those. There isn’t one natural thing in those. I’m sure the Raisinets don’t even contain real raisins.” 

Ella popped a few in her mouth, “Mmm, who cares? They’re delicious.” 

Shaking her head at Ella’s antics Erin continued to question her choice of snacks. “Alright, I can maybe see the appeal of the Raisinets, but the Bear Gummies?... Really?” 

“They’re Care Bear Gummies,” Ella corrected. 

“Well excuse me, Care Bear Gummies. Before you I had never even heard of those. Why do you always get them?” Erin handed the ticket taker their tickets and took the stubs in return, continuing down the hall. She glanced over to see Ella’s eyes downcast at the candies. “Ella?” 

Her smile softened, “Because, when I was little my dad and I used to watch the Care Bears together and I always told him I wanted to be a Care Bear.” Ella chucked at the memory, “When we went to the movies he would always get the gummies for me and told me I already was his little Care Bear.” 

Erin smiled at Ella’s shared memory, but her eyes were full of sadness. Allowing her thoughts to once again land on the man who had shaped the love of her life into such an amazing woman. _I really wish I could have been able to meet him and thank him for giving me such an amazing gift._ “Cute, I didn’t know that.” 

Ella just shrugged and played with the corner of the box. 

Erin pulled up and turned to step in front of Ella. “Hey, I’m sorry. I promise not to make fun of the Care Bear Gummies anymore.” 

Ella cleared her throat and look up at Erin with a smile. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, I wouldn’t want to take your material away.” 

“Material?”

Ella laughed, “Ya, I know you like to tease and since I’m already so perfect I wouldn’t want to take away what little material you have.” 

Shaking her head Erin laughed, “Touché.” 

Ella grinned in a cheesy manner and grabbed Erin’s hand, leading her into their theater. She stopped at the end of the hall when they entered the theater and looked to Erin, “What are our seat numbers?” 

Looking down at the ticket Erin read aloud, “We are in row R seats 13 and 14.” 

Still holding Erin’s hand, Ella led the way. She was too focused on the seat numbers to notice who they were getting closer too, but Erin was vigilant enough to see them. “Here we are,” Ella said as she sat down. 

Erin tried to mask her expression of annoyance as she glanced at the same couple whose eyes were once again intently fixated on her. _You have got to be kidding me._ Erin took her seat but as a keeper, she never liked having anyone behind her. She preferred to be able to see everyone and everything, always on the defensive. 

Normally, Erin would wait for Ella to lean into her, but having this particular couple sitting directly behind them was doing nothing to calm her nerves. She felt vulnerable and thus so was Ella, which did not sit well with her. So, Erin reached over and placed her arm around the back of Ella’s seat. Her ears caught the sound of the man clearing his throat, but she was quickly distracted when Ella leaned into her side and smiled up at her.

Erin took off her cap and placed in on her knee, she tried to forget about the couple behind her, but they were making it increasingly difficult. The movie started and every time Ella would lean closer to her, rest her head on her should or hold her hand the man behind them would cough or nudge Erin’s seat. It was taking every ounce of inner strength for her not to turn around, reach over her seat and punch the guy in the face. But for Ella’s sake she was trying her best to keep her frustration under control. 

As the movie progressed Ella’s moments of stillness between fidgets were becoming fewer and far between.   

Erin grinned down at Ella and whispered into her ear, “Are you cold?” 

Ella looked up and nodded. 

Erin handed her hat to Ella upon standing, making a point to turn around and glare at the man now in front of her. _Keep pushing douche bag._ She removed her camo jacket to drape over Ella’s shoulders. 

The man smirked at her and held her glare, until she was seated. Upon her seating he make a point to cross his leg over his knee and kick the back of Erin’s seat. 

 _That’s it!_ Erin turned around to face the man, “What’s your problem?” 

A menacing grin crept across his face, pleased with himself that he had finally gotten a rise out of her. 

Ella was taken back by Erin’s outburst, completely unaware of the man’s relentless, rude behavior. _Where did that come from?_ “Erin, what are you doing?” 

Erin’s body was ridged, heard Ella’s voice, but she wasn’t about to take her eyes off this guy. 

The man leaned forwards in his seat; bringing his face uncomfortably close to Erin’s and spoke so only she could hear him. “I’m not the one with the problem.” The words seethed from his mouth. He slowly leaned back into his seat, not bothering to wait for Erin’s response. 

The music from the movie was too loud for Ella to hear what he said and she couldn’t read lips, but she could see Erin’s jaw clench and the knuckles of her left hand turn white as she clutched the armrest. Ella glanced back at the man and didn’t recognize him, but next to him sat a woman she had seen before, _the rude woman from the concessions line._  

Erin was on the verge of exploding on this guy, but the gentle touch of Ella’s hand on her own was enough to bring her back down. 

“Erin?” Ella whispered. Erin turned her head and Ella could see that her eyes were filled with not only anger but also pain. The sight broke Ella’s heart. “Erin, it’s okay.” 

Allowing her body to relax, Erin turned back around in her seat. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Ella took Erin’s hand in her own and kissed her knuckles, just as she had done to her in the car. “Babe, relax the movie’s almost over.” 

Erin conceded and wrapped her arm back around Ella’s shoulders, pressing a tender kiss to her temple. Ella took hold of Erin’s free hand and gently ran her fingers back and forth across her knuckles, intending to further calm her. Erin did her best to focus on Ella’s soothing touch and just hoped the movie would end soon. Thankfully it did. 

Ella leaned forward to get up, but Erin’s hold on her arm stopped her. “Lets wait for the credits. I want to see if they put an extra clip at the end.” Erin couldn’t care less about the credits; she just wanted to wait for the couple to leave and to put as much distance between them as possible. 

“Okay.” Ella settled back into her seat. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Erin wasn’t watching the screen. _What is with her today?_ “Erin?” Ella called, trying to get her attention. 

Erin was keeping an eye on the man and his wife, making sure they were leaving. The woman turned down the hall towards the exit, but the man paused for a moment intentionally turning to glare at her one last time before exiting. 

Ella saw Erin’s jaw clench again, she reached up and cupping the far side of Erin’s face and turned it towards hers once more. Again, she saw he love’s eyes filled with so much anger and pain that it both hurt her and scared her. _I’ve never seen her like this before._ Stroking the side of her face Ella tried to bring those soft, caring eyes that she loved so much back to her. “Erin, are you alright? What happened?” 

Erin took comfort in Ella’s touch, closing her eyes to lean in closer to her. After taking a moment to calm her breathing Erin smiled softly and looked back into Ella’s eyes, “It’s nothing sweetie. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so upset.” 

Ella sighed, “Erin it’s not like you to snap at someone like that. I know you want to protect me from everything bad in this world, but that’s an exhausting, endless battle you can’t win. Please don’t do this to yourself. Tell me what happened.” Ella continued to stroke the side of her face, “It pains me to see you so upset. We are in this together. So, talk to me. What happened?” 

Erin smirked, “I hate it when you use my own words against me.” 

“It’s not fun is it?” 

“No, but you’re right.” She knew Ella wasn’t going to let this go, but the theater lights were coming up and the ushers were coming in to sweep the isles. “I promise we can talk about this later, but right now is not the time or place to do so. Can we please wait until we get home?” 

Ella sighed, she knew Erin was right, “Okay, but we are going to talk about this later.” 

“I know, but for now lets get out of here.” Erin rose from her seat and held her hand out for Ella who stood without accepting her help. She furrowed her brow in confusions, until Ella stepped closer looping her arms around her neck to place her cap back on her head. Erin grinned and gladly accepted Ella’s peck on her lips. 

The two left the theater and headed for the exit, until Ella stopped. “Hey, I have to use the restroom.” 

Erin rolled her eyes and shook her head, “How is that possible? You didn’t even get a drink?” 

Ella shrugged and handed Erin’s jacket back to her. “I can’t help it,” she said as she entered the restroom. 

Erin took her jacket and put it back on. Then leaned against the wall, taking out her phone to check and see if she had any new messages or missed calls. 

Had she not been looking at her phone Erin would have seen the man that had been tormented her all afternoon exiting the men’s room. He didn’t approach her; instead he leaned against the opposite wall and watched her while he waited.  

Ella was at the sink washing her hands when the stall door behind her opened and a recently familiar woman come to the sink next to her. It wasn’t until Ella reached up for the soap that her eyes landed on the reflection of the woman next to her, who once again was staring at her. Ella was a bit startled, but tried to play it off and offered the woman a pleasant smile in return. Only to be ignored once more. 

As kind as Ella is she tried once more to speak to the woman, “Did you enjoy the movie?” Ella was pleasantly surprised to get a response. 

“For the most part,” she said, but this time didn’t look up at her. 

Ella thought she was making progress so she pressed on, “Oh ya, I thought the love story was cute and the message was positive, but I have to admit the overall plot was a bit predictable at times. What didn’t you like about it?” 

Ella had finished washing her hands and patiently waited for the woman’s answer, but she kept her eyes down and continued to wash her hands. _What’s with this woman? Before she wouldn’t stop staring at me and wouldn’t speak. Now she’s speaking, but won’t look at me._ Ella was going to drop the conversation, since the woman seemed to already have. She turned and grabbed a paper towel to dry her hands. When the next words reached her she thought surely her ears had betrayed her.

“I can’t believe they let your kind in here,” the woman grumbled under her breath.  

Ella turned back around to face the woman and her voice came out a little louder than she had intended, “Excuse me?” 

Erin heard Ella’s raised voice and the apparent strain of agitation that accompanied it. She quickly pocketed her phone and stepped towards the entrance to see what was going on with Ella. 

The man leaning against the opposite wall saw Erin move towards the bathroom entrance and strode towards her. Reaching out he grabbed hold of Erin’s arm and jerked her backward. 

To say Erin was caught off guard was an understatement. Preoccupied with Ella, Erin hadn’t seen the man approaching, let alone reaching out to grab hold of her. Once she looked up and saw the man’s face her surprised expression was quickly replaced with one of anger. 

“That room is for women,” he stated. 

Erin tried to yank her arm free, but his grip was firm. “I am a woman. Now let go of me!” 

“No you’re not, dyke. You’re nothing more than a disease, infecting those around you. I saw how you have corrupted that poor girl you were with. What’s the matter? Did she loose her appeal? You looking to find another woman to defile?” 

Back inside the bathroom Ella was getting her own dose of prejudice. 

“You heard me. This is a place for families. You have some nerve bringing your filth in here.” 

Ella was shocked; no one had ever spoken to her in this manner before. “My filth? You must be mistaken.” 

“I’m not mistaken about anything. I saw you in there hanging all over that butch lesbian. You should be ashamed of yourself. It’s bad enough you lead a life of sin, but flaunting it is repugnant. I pray one day, you’ll repent and beg for God’s forgiveness.” 

In the hallway, Erin had reached her limit, but she caught a woman’s voice coming from inside the bathroom talking about sin and God, which distracted her. _Ella._ Erin turned her head back to the man and yanked her arm free, “I said, let go of me.” Erin was livid, but she wasn’t about to waste her time on this ignorant jerk when she knew Ella needed her. 

Thankfully, the manager walked up in that moment. “Excuse me, is there a problem here?” 

Oblivious to what was happening outside, Ella was plenty occupied with the narrow-minded woman lecturing her on God. “Ma’am, I don’t know what kind of God you worship, because the God I believe in loves unconditionally and calls us to do the same. As for that ‘butch lesbian,” as you call her, she is more woman than you could ever hope to be so don’t you dare try to judge her. You say, I’m repugnant and I lead a life of sin, when you’re the one standing her spewing hate and judgment towards a complete stranger. I pity you and your prejudice, because nothing good ever came from hating anyone. You claim to be a follower of God, well take a good long look in the mirror, because no God I know would call his followers to judge others. ‘Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her,’ John 8:7. Take a lesson for Jesus Christ, Ma’am.” And with that Ella turned her back on the woman and walked out of the restroom. 

Ella was fuming, but her irritation subsided when she saw Erin standing rigidly with the man from the theater and another man before her. Ella reached out to Erin and looped her hand around her arm, “Erin, what’s going on?” 

Erin reached up with her free arm to place her hand atop Ella’s and gave her a reassuring smile. “Nothing, Sweetie.” Both women looked to the man when they heard what could only be descried as a snarl coming from his throat. Ella was taken back, but Erin stood firm and narrowed her eyes. She looked to the manager, “Everything is fine. We were just leaving.” 

The manager nodded to Erin and smiled at her with empathy, it was painfully evident that whatever the issue was stemmed from the man and not her. 

Erin returned his gesture and led Ella out of the theater. Neither woman spoke as they walked to the car, both of them replaying the events of their encounters over in their head. 

Ella reached into her purse and handed the keys to Erin, who opened her door, but stopped her from getting inside. 

“Babe, are you alright?” Erin asked, anxiously waiting for Ella to look at her.  

Nodding as she looked up Ella smiled halfheartedly, “Ya, I’m just tired. Can we go home?” 

Erin wrapped her arms around Ella and pulled her close to her chest, kissing her head. “There’s nothing I’d like to do more.” Erin gave her a gentle squeeze then loosened her hold and helped Ella into the car. 

The drive home was mostly quiet, except for the music playing over the radio. Ella took hold of Erin’s right hand and placed it in her lap as she leaned over to rest her head on Erin’s outstretched arm as she drove. 

Erin smiled and kissed the top of Ella’s head once more. 

Once home the two went to their bedroom and changed into more comfortable clothes. This consisted of Ella putting on Erin’s black leggings and her dark gray, long-sleeved USWNT shirt. Erin threw on black leggings was well and paired it with a Houston Dash t-shirt. 

Ella was still situating her shirt when Erin came up behind her and wrapped her up in her arms, resting her chin on Ella’s shoulder. Both women leaned into the embrace and closed their eyes. 

“Would you like me to make you something to eat?” 

“No, I’m really not hungry, but thank you.” 

“Alright, how about you curl up on the couch with Maxwell and I’ll go make something to eat. If you get hungry you can have some of mine. Sound good?” 

“Ya, that does.” Ella turned and pecked Erin on the lips before walking out to the living room. 

Erin followed behind and looked on lovingly as she watched Maxwell jump up on the couch and curl up in Ella’s arms. _Good boy._  

Erin whipped up a grilled veggie sandwich; some home made humus and a bowl of fresh veggies to dip with. She carried out the plates and sat next to Ella on the couch. Not wasting a moment Ella curled up into Erin’s side, resting her had on her shoulder. After each bite of her sandwich Erin would offer it to Ella, _I knew I should have just made two._ Together they finished the sandwich and then ate the humus and veggies. 

Ella really was tired, not necessarily physically, but definitely emotionally. Erin knew as much as held her close. It wasn’t an hour later that Ella was fast asleep in Erin’s arms. She slipped out from underneath her; reaching her right arm under Ella’s legs and secured her other arm around her waist to lift and cradle her as Erin walked to their bedroom. 

Gently, Erin laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers up over her. Ella rolled over to face Erin’s side of the bed and instinctively reached out for her. Erin walked around the bed, set her phone on the nightstand and climbed into bed. “I’m right here Babe.” 

Ella scooted her body up against Erin’s and snuggled as close as she could. Erin’s grin only grew as she wrapped her arms around Ella and help her close. Her body went lax in Erin’s arms in no time, deep in sleep, but Erin wasn’t so lucky. She still couldn’t shake the events from the day. It had started off so well and quickly turned into a very unpleasant prejudicial encounter for both her and Ella. 

She knew they were going to have to talk about what happened once Ella woke up, but looking down at her asleep in her arms calmed Erin’s spirit, as it always did. Reaching over for her phone, Erin decided to share her frustrations on twitter and hopefully encourage others to rise above discrimination and focus on what truly matters. She sent out her tweet and settled into Ella to rest. As Erin was joining her in sleep she smiled at a thought that couldn’t be truer. _I am so happy and blessed to love such an amazing woman._

 

 


End file.
